Travel Blog: New York City
New York City. I’ll always love these views.
I’m not sure I could ever feel quite right living here.
There’s just so much overwhelm.
But I’ll always love these views.
Bourbon Street
I’ve spent plenty of time in New Orleans over the past year, but always gave Bourbon Street a wide berth to avoid the crowds and connect more with less-touristy parts of the city. But, this past weekend, I was on assignment shooting social content of fans during the Saints/Vikings game. There aren’t a ton of sports bars in the French Quarter, but Razoo’s on Bourbon Street turned out to be the only one I popped my head into that didn’t have a jazz band competing for fans’ attention inside.
Growing up in a conservative home, “Bourbon Street” was rarely used to denote the actual place, but was tossed around as a pejorative. “That person/place/thing looks like Bourbon Street.” It was a catch-all term around the house for anything deemed negative or immoral.
Older now, navigating this wide world for myself, I’ve finally had a chance to create my my own opinion of Bourbon Street. Is it crowded, smelly, cheapened by tourist pandering? Yes. Is it dominated by rubes who order alcohol by the yard and spend too much on cover charges for superficial pagan delights? Yes.
But.
It also makes for one hell of a photo.
Eyes Everywhere
New Year’s Day, 2011
My friends and I stepped down from the bus. The chilly clay crunched under my boots.
The air was hazy. Any illusion of clarity was dispelled when I raised my eyes to see the blacktop highway dissolve into a floating haze of humidity and moisture-bound truck exhaust.
My mind was also hazy. It was morning, and I had awoken only a few hours earlier from a few hours' sleep after being awake for the 56 hours prior. Long layovers though we had, I had not been able to sleep since taking off from Pensacola.
Sir went to a roadside snack shack to restock on Lay’s Tomato Tango, while those of us who had doubled down on morning tea sidled around the back of a shuttered garage to answer nature’s call.
Spike’s voice, always from the diaphragm, fired out from the far corner of the building.
“I’m having performance issues,” he muttered. “That monkey won’t stop watching me.”
I looked overhead and saw a cartload of monkeys spread out across the roof. A few observed our relief with academic disinterest, while one closest to me sat contemplating God’s good potato.
I laughed. Spike continued.
“I hate the monkeys. You should have seen them in Shimla. They’ll attack out of nowhere.”
At this, I sobered a tad and finished my business, one wary eye on the monkey troop.
We returned to a crowd around the bus. We were deep in Bihar, about as far off the tourist trail as we could be without swimming open water. Fresh faces, much less a rag tag gaggle of Americans, stood out in a little town like this. It seemed half the town had turned out to laugh at our sincere-yet-ham-handed attempts at pronunciation of “naya saal shayari.”
The bus’s interior was just as smoggy as the air outside. I adjusted my neckerchief back over my mouth and nose as I cleared the step into the bus.
Before ducking all the way inside the vehicle, I realized just how many faces, mostly kids, were watching us. I grabbed the rickety support bar in the bus door and leaned out to snap a few frames. The diversity of the expressions makes me smile every time.
So began my first full day in India.
Married in Killington, Vermont: Brian and Carly
Wedding recap meets travelogue as I fly from Pensacola to the mountains of Vermont to capture an old friend's wedding in beautiful Killington, VT.
Brian and Carly, wed 10/04/2015
Almost a year ago, I received the following message.
Carly is an old friend. She was active in the Pensacola photography scene as a model and graphic artist several years ago before moving to Maryland. I had photographed a number of projects with her (one of which her fiance said was his all-time favorite photo set of her), and we had always had a good time collaborating. At the prospect of photographing Carly's wedding, in Vermont, in the fall, it was not in my nature to decline.
Eleven months later...
When the airport check-in desk asks "how much do you weigh?"
When I say that Killington Grand Resort is tucked away in the mountains of Eastern Vermont, I mean that it is truly tucked away. My route north from Pensacola ended with a final flight from Boston to Lebanon, NH aboard a Cessna 404 Titan, which made me regret my heavy lunch as the tiny plane skirted just over the mountaintops and settled down into Lebanon Municipal Airport. I met Carly's parents at the gate and together we drove to Killington.
Meeting Vermont
Whoa.
Annie's work schedule didn't allow for her to accompany me on this trip, so I checked into the lodge on my lonesome and spent the evening checking gear and topping up battery charges. I slept in the next morning and took some time to hike around the lake and get a feel for the lodge. Vermont in October makes an amazing first impression. I had never been that far north before, and I am blessed to have made my first trip during the most perfect time of the year. I was blown away by the natural beauty of the surroundings, and everyone I met in the lodge rivaled their Southern counterparts in their friendliness and hospitality.
The Wedding
2 p.m. rolled around and we started the photos. Working solo, I bounced back and forth between Carly and Brian's dress-up areas, acquainting myself with Brian for the first time and getting to know the family and friends. Carly and Brian are a laid back, fun couple, and their friends and family are as well.
Surrounded by good vibes and beautiful scenery, the ceremony commenced. Did I fail to mention that Carly is a first-rate comic book nerd? She is, and her dad stole the show by tearing his shirt open before walking her down the aisle to reveal a Superman uniform underneath. #RelationshipGoals. Seriously.
Brian and Carly both claiming Scottish heritage, the ceremony featured traditional Scottish elements, such as literally "tying the knot" with Brian's clan tartan and a ceremonial drink of Scotch whisky from the Loving Cup. The couple kissed as the shadows grew long and we captured some stunning images in the golden hour light.
Following the ceremony and photos, the reception escalated into a 10-alarm party in no time. Between the open bar and the genuinely fun-loving natures of all parties involved, it was the most crazy/fun party I've had the opportunity to shoot in some time. Scotland prevailed over the party yet again as Brian and his groomsmen briefly disappeared from the reception and returned in boots and kilts to finish the night.
Since everyone was staying at the lodge, there was no formal exit. Rather the entire party moved to an upstairs room and passed the rest of the evening with drinks and conversation. I had planned to retire after the reception to pack and get some sleep before rising early in the morning, but Brian wouldn't hear of it. You know you're photographing an amazing couple when they invite you to the after-party, sans camera!
All in all, shooting this wedding was a huge blessing to me, and it is with great pleasure that I delivered their photos a few weeks ago. Congratulations again, Brian and Carly.
Oltrarno Thoughts
This image is of the Oltrarno ("Beyond the Arno") district in Florence, Italy. This district, the original seat of the Medici, glows like a dream every day at sunset. I took this image on my first trip overseas, when it was just me and my camera in Italy for three weeks. Everything was different then. I was trying to figure out what I wanted my life to be and to represent. I've grown attached to this image and use it on my business card because of what it means to me. To me, it sums up ideals of culture, beauty and discovery--things that excite me a great deal and that I want to promote in my work.
Now, years later, I'm facing a new crossroads in my life and looking at new decisions that I need to make in my career as an image maker and storyteller.
People have said to me recently "I wasn't sure if you were still taking photos."
Oh yes, I most certainly am.
And as this year draws to a close, I am looking ahead to the next one with plans to shoot more, see more and share more amazing stories and images than ever.
I invite you to join me for the ride, because 2015 is going to be glorious.
All the best,
Steven